Sure Thing
by GoodyGollyMissMoxley
Summary: Joe, AKA Roman Reigns, has never been so unhappy in with his life as he is now. Arianna is nothing she use to be. Will a encounter change their destiny? Or will it just ruin Joe's life even further? Read "Interlude" for further information. Roman Reigns/OC (Arianna).
1. Sure Thing: Chapter 1

Welcome to Chapter 1 of, "Sure Thing." Throughout the story, there will be some domesticated violence, verbal abuse and physical abuse.  
This chapter will be long, seeing as it is the opening chapter and I want to pack as much background info in as I can.  
There will be violence.  
**Viewers discretion is advised.**

Arianna is a middle school teacher. She used to be a crazily drunk, pill poppin', mean, fighting stout girl. She was training for wresting with a good friend of hers who at the time was called Leakee.  
She had developed feelings for him, but he had a girlfriend. She wouldn't dare mess anything up between the two whilst trying to be a whore. They were in love with each other.

The front door opening snapped her out of her thoughts and she started stirring the soup around again. He scared her. She wasn't afraid to fight back to just about anyone, but Aaron was a force that was not meant to be messed with. Their daughter, Jessica, had long taken off to her room as she hid in her closet. She didn't like him.

"Smells good, beautiful!" He smiled and kissed my cheek.  
"Thanks." She let out a weak smile and answer.

He ran his hands over her hips, unhooking her pants in the process. He pushed her legs open roughly and started having his way with her. She was used to it. Now she just sits and takes it. The beatings weren't worth it, she just further thought about her escape. It was planned out already. When she was going to the "store" she wouldn't come back. She'd pack everything in the car at night when he's asleep or at work. She didn't know where she would go, but she was leaving him, leaving this man hopefully for good. She often thought about her past lovers. Especially Joe. He was the total opposite of Aaron.

"Alright you disgusting slut…"Aaron trailed off, "We have a bible study to attend tonight. You're going this time. So go hide your battle marks and was yourself. You smell like the rotten dog you are." Aaron hissed in my ear.

She knew she could never do enough to please him. He sulked into the den and she knew she was expected to bring him his food.

**xXxXxX**

Joe sat in disbelief as he looked through the trash can outside, for it was covered in nothing but beer and alcoholic beverage containers. He slammed the lid and bombarded into the house, slamming the door open so hard it bounced off the wall and hit itself against his arm. He was finally home for a little while to spend some extra time with his wife. He had only been gone three weeks and there were almost 50-some empty glass bottles that had, at one time, alcohol in them. And that's when he heard all sort of giggles and then the giggles quickly tuned to moans from their room upstairs. He bounded up the steps so fast that the stairs barely squeaked underneath his feet. He listened closely. He could hear a vibrator running, but then he heard a man's husky deep voice. With that, he busted into the door and was astonished at what he saw even though he knew he shouldn't have even been surprised.  
"REALLY Alexis, are you serious? YOU'RE FUCKING HIM ON MY BED? IN MY HOUSE THAT I PAID FOR BECAUSE YOU LOVED IT SO MUCH. MY HOUSE?!" Joe couldn't control the tone of his voice.  
"LEAKEE! YOU WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO BE HERE!" Alexis shouted, pushing her lover off of her to try and come to me.  
"Do not fucking touch me!" Joe's voice rumbled through the room.

He pushed her off of him and pointed to the naked man in the bed.

"Fucking have her. Keep her, she's just a disgusting piece of trash anyways." Joe spat at him, turning on his heal to leave.  
"Leakee! Wait! It isn't what it looks like!" Alexi s called.  
"Oh, it looked like he was plugging you, but that' not the case is it, Alexis?" Joe rolled his eyes. "I'm done, Alexis. I'm done with you. The best thing for you to do before I get home is have all your shit packed immediately and you should be gone before I get back."

Joe turned sharply on his heel. He couldn't believe what he had just witnessed. She was supposed to love him, she was supposed to be the love of his life for the rest of his life. All that lovey dove shit had quickly ended within two months of their marriage. They had been married for four years almost and he had to escape on the road with the WWE to get some rest.

Joe walked into the grocery store, searching the isles for something to eat. He was on the rice isle when he saw her. She was short, beautiful long black hair, much like his. She was tiny and had bruises all over her arm. She looked scared and worried. He knew her from somewhere…I just couldn't put my finger on it.

"Joe?" the familiar stranger whispered. Her tiny voice brought it all back.  
"Ari?" Joe was almost shocked she was still in Florida.  
"Yeah..It's nice to see you! How have you been?" Arianna asked, crossing her arms over her chest.  
"Pretty..uh…pretty good. Yeah, how about yourself?" Joe asked, looking at the bruises all over her arm.  
"Oh, I've seen better days." She smiled, her voice was nothing loud.  
"Well, you look pretty." Joe complimented her. "As always."  
"Thank you, Leati." She smiled, watching him cringe as she used his first name.  
"Uh..listen…I got some wife things to take care of. Here's my number though, call me sometime. Maybe we can hangout..get a bite to eat or something." Joe smiled down at her, writing his number quickly over a piece of paper.  
"Yeah, definitely." She smiled, "I've got bible study with the husband tonight..but maybe while he's at work I can sneak off." She smiled.  
"Bible study, huh? Taken the old Christian way?" Joe smiled.  
"Not really. He's just the only guy who doesn't push me away." She lied. He pushed her all the time. "He's a preacher, you should come out tonight. I think it'll do you some good if you're having marriage problems."  
"I'll have to pass, but thanks." Joe grinned, handing her the slip of paper.  
"Awh that sucks. God bless." Arianna said, waking off and immediately realizing what she had said.  
Joe heard her cussing underneath her breath at her last statement to him. He couldn't help to stifle a laugh.

Joe returned to his house, hoping it was empty. It wasn't. She was still there. He sat the bags down on the counter and walked out of the kitchen, finding her sitting on the couch eating popcorn.

**Joe's/Leati's P.O.V.**  
"What are you still doing here?" I asked her, throwing my arms up in the air.  
"This is my house, too Leati." She almost spat.  
"How is this your house? Why aren't you with your little boy toy?" I asked.  
"He left, you scared him." She said.  
"Good. I should've beaten the fuck out of him. " I scoffed, "Alexis I'm only going to tell you this one more time. Get the fuck out."  
"No, Leati. We can make our relationship better. We just have to put faith in it." She pleaded, standing up.  
"You have an hour until your shit is packed and ready to go. Or I call the cops and they come get you the harder way." I said, glaring down at her. "ONE."

She started crying, trying to hold me close to her. I couldn't stand her; she was the definition of drunken idiot. As I was walking to the kitchen, her arms still wrapped tightly around me, I grabbed the phone.

"911, what's your emergency?" The operator asked.  
"Yeah, I need some law enforcement down here to remove my wife from my house." I said calmly.  
"I WILL RUIN YOU, LEATI! THEY WON'T EVEN BE ABLE TO IDENTIFY YOUR FACE WHEN THEY ARE ABLE TO FIND YOUR BODY. I WILL DIG A HOLE 18 FEET DEEP JUST TOO BURRY YOU. YOU'RE A SORRY SACK OF SHIT!" She screamed at me as I ducked a glass that was hurling at my head.  
"Is she intoxicated? Are you wanting to press a restraining order?" The woman asked.  
"Yes to both questions." I answered.

**Arianna's P.O.V.  
**Everyone dug into the food that I had prepared at bible study. I sat in the back, I wasn't allowed to eat anything in front of the other church goers. Aaron demanded that I didn't even eat in front of him. I disgusted him. I wasn't really listening to what he was preaching about. I hated hearing his voice. He disgusted me. I sat in the back with my head down, my hands on my lap. I didn't want to be here. I could feel his eyes on me. I had done something to piss him off. Maybe it was my posture. Or the way a hair on my head curled. Any little thing could've sat him off.

We got out of church and rode back to the house in silence. His hand rubbed up my thigh. My heart said to push him away, my mind knew not to even touch him. I just swallowed and kept my eyes on the road ahead of us.

"The food was great tonight, babe!" Aaron said, turning the radio on.  
"Thanks." I smiled weakly.  
"You should smile more, it suits you." He said, pulling into our drive way.

I faked yet another smile at him and opened the door to get out, watching Jessica run straight into the house to her room. I hurt for her, I hurt for me. He reached over and slammed my door, making me sit back in my seat.

"Where do you think you're going?" He growled.  
"Nowhere." I said, folding my hands in my lap.  
"That's exactly what I thought." He said, "I'm not happy Arianna. You don't love me anymore."  
"Don't be absurd, I do love you." I lied.  
"NO YOU DON'T. YOU DON'T LOVE ME. YOU NEVER LOVED ME." He screamed in my face, grabbing me.  
"Yes, I do love you Aaron. I still do." I said calmly.  
"NO YOU DON'T. STOP LYING TO ME, ARIA. YOU DON'T LOVE ME." He screamed, "Yes, yes you love me. You have to love me. We're going to get married. You said yes that you will marry me. We're engaged right?"  
"Yes, Aaron. We are engaged. We are going to get married." I said, feeling his nails dig into my skin.  
"BUT WHY DON'T YOU LOVE ME?" He cried.  
"Aaron, I love you." I said.  
"NO YOU DON'T, YOU'RE A DISGUSTING LIAR." He said, grabbing me by the hair and pulling me into the house.

**Joe's P.O.V.  
**I lay in bed that night and my mind drifted to Arianna. She looked so frail and scared. Her eyes were sunken; her once bright pink lips now looked dull. Her skin looked grey. Nonetheless, she was still a beautiful girl. Alexis was gone. As much as it hurt for me to admit it, we never truly loved each other. I was in love with loving her. She was beautiful at one point of our relationship. Then we really got to know each other and she let herself go. She started drinking. She got disgusting. My house was empty now; almost all of her stuff was gone.  
No matter what I tried thinking about, the image of a frail little Arianna kept popping into my mind. Her small frame bothered me. She used to be healthy, she use to have life. Now she wouldn't even look me in the eye. She was jumpy and pale. You used to have to work hard to scare her.

I couldn't sleep that night, so I decided I was going out for a drive.

**Arianna's P.O.V.  
**Aaron was finally asleep. I laid in the bed beside of him, bleeding from the corner of my mouth. I decided tonight was the night I was leaving, I was taking my daughter and leaving. All of our clothes were already packed in bags beside of the back storage room. I snuck out of bed and grabbed his car keys.  
Tonight, I would be nothing more than a worthless memory to him. Tonight, I was free.  
I grabbed Jessica's sleepy three year old body and ran to the car, unlocking and getting her in safely.  
I had never sped out of a driveway so fast in my life as I just did. Jessica cried from the backseat, screaming as I hit the brakes.

"MOMMA! MOMMY!" She cried.  
"It's okay, Jessica baby. We're going to be okay." I said, speeding off down the road.  
"Mommy, I'm scared." She clutched her bear.  
"We're okay, sweetie. We're going to be just fine." I said, turning onto the highway.

I drove the way I remembered to my mom's house. It was a couple hours out, but I knew for a fact that Aaron didn't know where she lived. I couldn't believe that I had made it as I pulled into my mom's driveway. The house was a huge three story old country houses that sit way back in the woods. I crawled out of the car; my body was black and blue all over already. My older sister opened the door for us, hugging me to her as we both cried.

"Arianna…what happened to you?" She hugged me tightly.  
"I'm so sorry, Destiny. I'm so sorry." I cried, my grip on Jessica was tight as she clung to me.  
"Come on in, he won't hurt you here." She whispered, running out to the car to get our bags.

I sat Jessica down on the couch as she hugged her bear. She had never met my side of the family. My mom walked down the stairs. She looked at me one time and started crying. She rushed over to me and wrapped me in her arms.

"What has he done to you, sweet child?" She whispered, looking from me to Jessica.  
"Momma…momma this is Jessica, your granddaughter." I cried, pulling Jessica into my lap.

After Jessica got to know everyone, it was almost 6am. My mother was kind enough to let us stay with her until I got back on my feet. She understood that I pushed them away because of Aaron. I watched Jessica sleep. So innocent, so beautiful. She had always looked like me. I went to take a shower and found Joe's number in my pocket, reminding me of our encounter earlier that day. If I remembered right, Joe was usually up around seven every morning to exercise.  
After I took a long shower, I found myself staring at the phone. I picked it up and began dialing his number.  
It rang twice.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 3: Sure Thing.

**Joe's P.O.V.**  
The cool air made my lungs burn as I pushed the last mile on my run. The sun was almost up, the world was still in the twilight stage. I lived in a somewhat rich neighborhood. I had never really realized how beautiful the houses and scenery was. My phone rung, snapping me out of my thoughts. I stopped running and looked down at the caller I.D.  
It was unknown.

"Hello?" I asked, trying to catch my breath.  
"Joe?" Her voice cracked out.  
"Aria?"  
"Yeah, hey." She said, I could hear a little smile in her voice.  
"Hey…how are you?" I smiled.  
"I'm…well…I've been better." She said.  
"Why don't we meet up sometime and catch up?" I asked, hopeful.  
"I…I don't know, Joe." She stammered, "I don't think its safe for me to be out in public right now."  
"Well…I'll come to you." I offered.

**Aria's P.O.V.  
**I don't know why I was so nervous about Joe coming here. Aaron couldn't find out because he didn't know where my mom lived. I watched Jessica as she played in the sandbox with her cousin. My sister sat out beside of me drinking a tall glass of tea.

"How long have you been with him, Aria?" Destiny asked.  
"Almost five years."  
"And he's been abusing you all five years?"  
"No, he didn't start until I got pregnant. He tried killing Jessica, he wasn't ready for a baby." I said, rubbing my arms.  
"When will Joe be here?" Destiny asked.  
"Any time now." I said, jumping as Jessica started screaming.

My head snapped in her direction. She was screaming due to Jackson chasing her. She was happy. I hadn't seen her smile like this in a while. She still had a death grip on her teddy, though.

"Relax sis. He can't hurt you here. He doesn't know where you are." Destiny rubbed my back.  
"I..I'm just paranoid, Des." I said, pulling my knees to my chest.  
"I know you are." She whispered.

A couple minutes later, there was a big black escalade pulling into the dirt road that lead to the house. Jessica ran to me and held onto me tightly. The car parked a couple feet away from my black car and outstepped Joe. His long black hair was pulled back into a tight bun and he had on a black shirt that hugged his defined arms in all the right places. He smiled at me as he took off his sunglasses.

"Well if it isn't Mr. Anoa'I himself." My sister smiled, sitting up straight.  
"Hey." Joe nodded at her, walking up to me.  
"Is that all I get is a 'hey', Joe?" She laughed, walking off.  
"No, you can get a 'bye', too." He smirked, sitting in her place beside of me.  
"Jessica, this is Joe. Remember me telling you about how, before I met daddy, I was training to be a wrestler?" I asked her, watching her eye Joe.  
"Yes." She said, her lips in a full on pout as she glared at him, "Can I go play now?"  
"Well I never said you had to stop playing, honey." I chuckled, putting her down.

Joe and I both watched her run to the back of the yard to play with Jackson.

"How old is she?" He asked.  
"She just turned three last month." I nodded, pulling my knees back to my chest.  
"She's beautiful." He smiled, "Looks a lot like you."  
"Thank you. A lot of people say she looks like her dad." I grinned watching her.  
"Where is he at?" Joe asked.  
"Hopefully half way to hell by now." I said, earning a chuckle from him.  
"That's not very Christian of you." He grinned at me.  
"Guess I really am nothing but a hypocrite." I smirked.  
"So what's going on between you two? Really.." He looked down at me.  
"I left last night…he…uh…he" I trailed off, not wanting to say anymore.  
"He what?" He asked, raising a eyebrow.  
"He's abusive, Joe. He was a good man at first..I got pregnant and then he turned into a complete ass." I shook my head.

**Joe's P.O.V.  
**I watched her tell me things he's done to her. I watched her cry. This wasn't the woman I had known a couple years ago. Arianna was a strong independent woman with life and spunk in her. This was a shell of Arianna. He had broken her, wore her down until she felt she was nothing in the world. This wasn't my Arianna. I didn't really know how to comfort a sobbing woman other than to hold her, so that's what I did. I wrapped a arm around her shoulders, pulling her into my grip. She soon stopped crying hard, now it was nothing but sniffles.

"Does he know where you two are now?" I asked, looking down at her red face.  
"No, at least I don't think so." She shook her head, her hand laying on top of mine that was resting on her shoulder.  
"You know..you and Jessica could always come live in the condo my parents own. I'm sure my dad would allow you two to stay there." I suggested.  
"No, no. I'm fine here for a couple more weeks. I just have to be careful out in public." She said.  
"You shouldn't have to do that."  
"I know." She said, "He's so strong though, Joe. He doesn't look like it, but he is."  
"You're stronger than this, Aria. I remember you taking me down in arm holds when I was standing on my feet." I said, rubbing her back.  
"I don't know, Joe. I'm not that same girl." She shook her head.  
"Yes you are. You're just bent a little, that's all." I said.  
"How's your situation?" She asked, looking up at me.  
"Complete hell," I shook my head, "I..I walked in on her cheating on me with some other man in my bed."  
"Some people just don't know when they've got a prize." Aria patted my knee.  
"I'm far from a prize but I know that I shouldn't have to be treated like that." I said, "What are you guys doing for dinner?"  
"I usually just go with what Jessica wants." She shook her head, "Probably pizza."  
"Yeah? I could go for some pizza." I nodded, watching a smile spread across her face.  
"Yeah?" She smiled, "Jessica! Come here please."  
x

Jessica ran up to the two and smiled bashfully up at Joe, her eyes darting around nervously.

"Did I do something?" She asked, crossing her little hands in front of her.  
"No honey, what do you want to eat?" Arianna asked.  
"Pizza!" She smiled.  
"Told ya." Aria smiled back at Joe who shook his head.  
"How about I take you and your mommy out for some pizza?" Joe asked, watching the little girl nod happily, "You'd like that?"  
"Uh huh." She blushed.

The three went to the old pizza palace where Aria and he used to go all the time while they were training. They sat in the very back; Arianna and Jessica were out of the view from the public. They ordered a pizza and sat and chatted. They told Jessica of stories when they were training, Joe told the story of Aria pissing her pants after she took a tumble from the ring which made the small girl erupt in laughter.

"That is not funny!" Arianna smiled, poking the little girl softly in the forehead.  
"Yes it is, mommy!" She laughed, holding her sides even tighter.  
"I find it funny." Joe smiled.

They finished the pizza off and soon made their way back to Arianna's mother's house. He watched her as she unbuckled the sleeping child, it was probably past her bedtime since it was going on eleven now. Joe walked her to the porch where they were greeted by her mother, Lucy.

"Well hello, Joe!" Her soft old voice had a smile to it.  
"Hello." Joe flashed a smile to the elderly woman.  
"How have you been?" She asked.  
"I've been better, but I can't really complain." Joe smiled.  
"I heard that," She smiled as she turned to Aria, "Would you like me to lay her down so you two can talk?"  
"Mom, you don't have to do that." Aria shook her head.  
"Arianna, give me my granddaughter." Lucy demanded, making Aria smile.

Joe watched as the two switched arms of the sleeping child. Aria and him then walked off of the porch and down by the lake, the moonlight was their only form of light.

"I had forgotten how pretty it was down here at night." Aria almost whispered, looking up at the stars.  
"Definitely a sight to see." Joe agreed.  
"Joe..how's everything going for you? With the business and stuff." She asked, leaning against a tree.  
"Well, I'm done with NFL completely now. With FCW and all, I've risen to the top almost. I got a match this weekend against Dean Ambrose. That guy is just plain out fucking weird but he's a good guy." Joe sighed, "I'm guessing you're done with all the church stuff huh?"  
"Pretty much." She laughed, earning a smile from Joe.  
"You should come out. A lot of the same guys are still there." Joe nodded, "And I..I've got a medical screening with WWE."  
"Joe!" Arian smiled, "That's amazing! When is it?"  
"Not for four more weeks." Joe shrugged, "They are probably going to slap me in developmental."  
"That's still amazing, though." She smiled.  
"Yeah, it's a good start. I've just got to get a foot in the door somehow someway." He shook his head.  
"They recognize talent when they see it." Aria smiled, "You've definitely got it."

The two talked for a little bit more, talking about their careers and all the good times before they started walking back up to the house.

"Shit Joe," Arianna groaned, "It's almost two AM."  
"Seriously?" Joe gasped, checking his watch, "Shit. I forgot to feed the dog."  
"I'm sorry." She said.  
"No, no. It's completely fine. The dog definitely isn't going to starve to death. He's fat as it is," Joe smiled, "I had fun tonight, Arianna. I've missed you."  
"I've missed you too, Joe." Arianna whispered, "Maybe we can hang out again tomorrow. Maybe take the kids to the park or something."  
"Yeah," Joe smiled, "Yeah definitely."

Joe walked her to the porch, making sure she got in alright. Before she closed the wooden door, she turned and waved at him.

"Good night, Joe." She said.

"Good night, Aria." He replied, turning to leave.

She sighed and watched him get into his car before she turned the porch light off. She turned to see her sister, Destiny standing there with a smug smile on her face.

"What's all that look for?" Arianna asked, crossing her arms.  
"You know what." Destiny smiled, "You've still got it bad for him."  
"No I don't." She shook her head, "Joe's just an extremely attractive man."  
"I can agree with that last statement, but those feelings are still there between the both of you."  
"Joe's just getting out of a marriage and is trying to get his career started out again. He doesn't have time for me." Arianna whispered, walking past Destiny.  
"He had time for a marriage; he's definitely going to have time to rekindle an old flame." Destiny followed her to her room.  
"GOOD NIGHT, DESTINY." Arianna raised her voice slightly, shutting and locking the door in her sisters face.

Arianna settled down beside of her sleeping daughter, brushing the strands of blonde hair out of her innocent face as her mind wandered to Joe.


	3. Chapter 3: A New Beginning Maybe

Jessica was staring at me as my eyes cracked open, the lights blaring all around us. I groaned and rolled over, burying my face in the pillows. I hadn't seen Joe in almost 3 weeks, he was away with FCW. I had told Jessica he would be back today and she was beyond ecstatic to see him.

"Mommy, wake up! I wanna see Joe today." She playfully hit my arm.  
"Joe's still asleep, honey." I whispered, trying to persuade her to go back to bed.  
"He sleeps this late?" She asked, her voice cracking.  
"What time is it?" I asked.  
"Its….two…ten…twelve fifteen." She said, making me jump out of bed.  
"Holy shit! Jessica, you must be starving!" I ran around the room, looking for my pants as I came up short of them.  
"Grandma came in here and picked the dirty clothes up to wash them." She said, looking up at me from the bed. "She told me to come eat but they had sausage and I just didn't like it at all."  
"You didn't like it?" I asked, pulling my hair back.  
"No, they said it was fresh and it kind of scared me so I didn't eat." She shook her tiny head.  
"Fresh sausage is good, sweetie." I smiled, pulling a button up flannel shirt over my tank top.  
"No, no sausage is good mommy." She wrinkled her nose up.  
"Well, come on. I'll make you some waffles." I said, taking her by the hand as she hopped off the bed.

She skipped down the stairs and back into the kitchen, her chubby legs poking out from her panties. She was adorable.

"You haven't ate yet, Jessica?" Destiny asked as she climbed up into the counter's chair.  
"No, mommy just woke up." She said, sitting her cup and stuffed animal down beside each other.  
"We tried getting her to eat sausage but she wouldn't." Destiny said, smiling at me, "You're looking pretty good today."  
"Oh yeah right," I sighed, "I look like a dyke."  
"You do not, mommy you look beautiful." Jessica said, smiling at me as she laid her head down on the counter.  
"Thank you baby," I smiled, "Anyway, she doesn't eat meats. She eats waffles in the morning with orange juice."  
"Is this a every morning thing?" Destiny smiled.  
"Yep, pretty much." I nodded, finding the ingredients to mix the batter up.

I made Jessica's waffles and squeezed her fresh orange juice as the houses activity picked up greatly.

"Aria! Phone!" Destiny called.  
"I'm cooking!" I shouted back.  
"It's Joe!" She said, causing me to smile.

I ran quickly to get the phone and quickly right back.

"Hello?" I asked, knowing I sounded way to chipper.  
"Hey, good morning sleepy head," He chuckled, "I called earlier but they said you were still asleep."  
"Yeah, I haven't been awake long. I was tired last night." I smiled.  
"Well, Don't get too tired today," He said, "I was hoping maybe we could go out tonight."  
"Actually, I have to house sit while my mom and sister go out to the rodeo tonight. My uncle is riding for a record there." I said, smiling as Jessica's small arms wrapped around the back of my leg.  
"Oh well that's a bummer." He sighed.  
"Come over tonight. I'll be here by myself. Jessica's going with them." I said.  
"You sure?" He asked.  
"Beyond; Come over around five?" I asked.  
"I'll be there." I could hear the smile in his voice.  
"See ya then." I smiled as I hung up the phone.  
"Is Joe coming over, momma?" Jessica asked.  
"He is, but he will probably be here when you get back so you can see him." I said, putting yet another waffle on her plate.

I placed her back at the table as she ate her second waffle and then I cleaned the dishes. I gave her a bath not long after that and before I knew it, it was four o'clock and I was giving her a bye hug.

"Momma, keep a close close eye on her okay?" I asked as I handed Jessica over to her.  
"Trust me, momma. I got this." She smiled.  
"I'm just nervous," I sighed, "Have fun you guys. Jessica, hold mommaw's hand the entire time okay?"  
"Okay mommy, love you!" She smiled brightly at me.  
"Love you too, baby." I stood and watched them pull out of the driveway.

It was a long hour to wait, but Joe soon pulled into the driveway. I watched as he walked from his car to the porch steps, his built arms protruding from his shoulders as the tattoo decorated it perfectly.

"Hey, come in." I smiled as I opened the door.  
"You got the whole place to yourself, huh?" He smirked, hugging me tightly.  
"Yep," I smiled, "It's a different place without all the screaming kids. Kind of relaxing."  
"I understand that." Joe smiled as he flopped down on the couch beside of me, "So what's up?"  
"Just been relaxing a little today," I smiled, pulling my knees up to my chest, "You?"  
"Worked out a little bit, talked to WWE again about the tryout..it's been a pretty boring day for me."  
"Same here…it's odd without Jessica being here." I laughed, laying my head back on the couch.

We talked for a couple hours, laughing and picking around with each other before we settled down with a movie to watch. I leaned up against Joe's shoulder, my head resting nicely against his defined arms. He smelt amazing. A couple of minutes into the movie, Joe pulled me down on his chest.  
We spent the rest of the movie in that position, my head pressed against his built chest as I listened to his heartbeat. The movie ended and I looked up into his eyes, smiling as he stretched his arms up over his head.

"What time do they normally get back?" Joe asked.  
"Not usually until later, it's too early." I yawned, laying my head back down on his chest.  
"Lets go get something to eat then." He mumbled.  
"I don't really have the money." I shook my head.  
"I don't think I said 'Lets go get something to eat, but you have to pay for yours', did I?" Joe smiled.  
"No." I smiled.  
"C'mon, it's my treat." He said.  
x

Joe took them to a nice steak restaurant, it was a nice cozy booth in the back. He rubbed her back in a friendly manner as she leaned in close to him. He was comforting to her, a homely face. The food was good, they took their time eating and enjoying each other. Arianna hadn't truly felt this happy in a long long time around a man.

"Lets go for a walk." His low voice cut through their silence.  
"Alright." She smiled, lacing her arms with his.

They walked down to the park where she sat on the bench beside of him. It was past midnight now; they were completely alone in the dark playground.

"What are you going to do now?" He asked her.  
"Go home and go to bed?" She chuckled.  
"I meant with your life, smartass." He laughed.  
"I..I don't know really. I know I want to go and get a house of my own with Jessica..maybe a local job…I'm not too sure honestly." She sighed.  
"Like I said," Joe whispered, "I have that condo."  
"I don't have any money to pay rent, Joe." She shook her head.  
"And I didn't ask you for any rent, did I?" Joe raised a eyebrow.  
"I've missed you, Joe.'" She whispered, laying her head against his shoulder.  
"I've missed you, too." He whispered, "More than you could ever imagine."

Arianna looked up into his grey eyes that seemed to shine even out in the pitch black. They got lost in a moment, their foreheads touching slightly as he bent down a pressed his lips to hers. Shocked but grateful, Arianna kissed him back. He held the back of her head in his large hands as she moved to get a better range of his lips. He was everything Arianna ever dreamed he tasted like. He pulled her into his lap, her legs on either side of his. She moaned into his touch, rubbing her thumbs slowly along his strong jawline.

"Joe," She whispered as she broke their kiss, "I..I need to get back home before Jessica and them get home."  
"Alright, let's go." He said, waiting for her to move off of his lap.

Instead, he was greeted with another long sensual kiss as she ran her fingers through his hair as their mouths battled against each other's. She crawled off of his lap and they walked slowly back to his car.


	4. Chapter 4: A New Home prt 1

(_Welcome to another installment of dundundundunnnn…Sure Thing. I don't want to give anything away at the moment so I'll leave you with this..the song is "Fall" by Clay Walker. I love this song.)(And, we start off right where we left.)_

  
When Aria and Joe pulled up to the house, Arianna's heart fell to her stomach. She jumped out of the car and ran to her mother who was holding a sad Jessica in her arms; Joe was only a few short feet behind her.

"What happened? Why's she crying?" Aria questioned as she grabbed her daughter from her mother.  
"Lance followed us back here, Arianna. We tried to cut him off, we kept her from him but he wouldn't leave us alone on the road." Her mother told her.  
"Jessica honey, are you okay?" Aria asked.  
"Yes mommy, I'm okay. I'm just scared." She whispered.  
"I'm not going to let anything harm you, alright Jess?" Aria kissed her sad daughters forehead.

They described him to the police the best they could while Joe and Aria took Jessica up to their room. They laid on either side of her small body, the poor child was frightened horribly. Joe admired the way Aria seemed to calm her small daughter down after a few jokes and a few hugs.

"Joe," Jessicas small voice spoke up after a few moments of silence, "Joe will you stay with us tonight?"  
"Honey..I.." Joe trailed off.  
"Please Joe?" Jessica begged, "I feel safe with you around."  
"I'll stay as long as I can." Joe whispered as he looked down at the upset girl.  
"Okay." She nodded, rolling back over onto her side.

Jessica was soon asleep as she laid between the two adults. Joe felt a little better knowing that Jessica approved of him, approved of him being around so much. He looked up at Aria to see her blue eyes staring at him through heavy lidded eyes.

"What are you looking at?" Joe whispered.  
"You." She whispered back.  
"Why me?" Joe asked, his full lips slowly moving as he spoke; Aria wanted to reach across the bed and kiss them again.  
"I like looking at you." She yawned, "You can go ahead and leave if you'd like. I know you don't want to stay here for the full night."  
"You sure?" Joe asked, he didn't want her to feel unprotected.  
"Yeah, he probably won't be back here knowing that the cops are after him." Aria whispered.  
"I can stay for a few more hours." Joe whispered, "But I don't think we're going to fall asleep looking at each other."

His response made Arianna chuckle. He was right, looking at Joe lying so close to her with her unable to touch her was teasing to her. She sat up in the bed and motioned for him to follow her which he did happily. They walked down to the kitchen and turned on the light, it was merely five AM. She put on a pot of coffee as she looked out the window at the back yard. She remembered hers and Joe's adventure down there just a few short weeks ago, the first day they had hung out together. Joe softly cleared his throat. She turned around to see him standing close to her. He softly pressed his lips to hers, completely catching her off guard. She leaned into his kiss, admiring his taste as it spread across her lips much like earlier. He held the back of her head closely to his and rubbed his thumb softly over the strands of her loose hair. She looked up at him with a soft smile.

**_Oh look there you go again  
Puttin' on that smile again  
Even though I know you've had a bad day_**

"You're so beautiful." Joe whispered.  
"Only sometime." She whispered, "I have to admit, being able to talk to you every day has helped me a lot, Joe, even when you were on the road."  
"Good, I'm beyond glad I could be here for you." Joe said.  
"I need to go milk the cows and feed the horses." She whispered.  
"Aria, I've been wanting to talk to you about something." Joe whispered, "Can the animals wait a few minutes?"  
"Yeah, sure." Aria nodded, pouring them both a cup of coffee.

**_Doin' this and doin' that  
Always puttin' yourself last  
A whole lotta give and not enough take  
But you can only be strong so long before you break_**

"Aria, I was thinking maybe..maybe you and Jessica should move in with me." Joe whispered, "I know I've brought it up a lot but I think it's the best thing to do. We wouldn't see each other every day..I'll soon be going on the road with WWE. They signed me, Aria. I'll start in developmental."  
"Joe, that's amazing." Aria whispered, "Beyond amazing. I knew you could do it."  
"Yeah..so what do you say?" Joe asked, looking down at her with hopeful eyes.  
"Oh, Joe…I don't know. I'd feel horrible without being able to pay you." She shook her head; Joe seen a few hint of tears forming in her eyes.  
"I'd never ask you for money, I'm not hurting for any right now." Joe shook his head, "I think it'll be good now that Lance knows where you've been living."  
"What about your wife?" Aria asked him, running her finger around the outside of her coffee cup.  
"She's not around anymore." Joe shook his head, "She won't be a bother to you or Jessica."  
"She just don't need to be around anymore drama." Aria said, speaking of Jessica.  
"We'll get another house so that neither of our exes knows where we are." Joe shrugged.

Joe didn't know what he said, but Arianna broke down in tears. He quickly wrapped her tightly in his big arms, pulling her into his chest as he tried his best to comfort her.

**_Fall  
Go on and fall apart  
Fall into these arms of mine  
I'll catch you every time you  
Fall  
Go on and lose it all  
Every doubt every fear  
Every worry, every tear  
I'm right here  
Baby fall_**

"Why are you so good to me?" Arianna whispered after a few minutes of him hold her.  
"Because I know how good of a person you are, I know the true Arianna. " Joe whispered, "I know you're a wonderful mother and a wonderful person. Anyone to give up on that is a shitty person. I know you're trying to get your life together and you're not going to be able to do it while living so far back off in the woods. This place will always be your home, I know that. But now..I'm offering you a new home, free of charge. I just need you and Jessica there. When I'm out on the road, I will know your safe there. You deserve better than to live in fear of a man coming back into your life when you're unprotected. Jessica deserves better than that."

Arianna laid her head against his chest as he spoke; knowing every word he said was the truth. She wiped her eyes, smearing her makeup slightly as she did. Jessica and her did deserve a better life than living in fear.

"I'm not going to let anything hurt you at my house, you're untouchable there. I promise. No one will touch you." Joe whispered more into her ear now.  
"Okay." She nodded.  
"Okay what?" Joe asked her.  
"Okay I'll move in with you." She nodded; she figured she had nothing to lose.  
"Really?" Joe smiled.  
"Yeah, really." She nodded, "But I'm getting a job and helping out with bills."

Joe laid his forehead against hers as his icy grey eyes gazed into hers; her eyes were still streaked red from crying yet she was still so beautiful to Joe. He had to admit, those four weeks of him being away and still talking to her on a daily basis had made him regain all his feelings for her. She rubbed her hands over his stomach; she felt the rippled skin underneath his shirt.

"Joe.." She trailed off as she looked up into his eyes.  
"Sssh." He placed a finger over her lips before pressing their lips together yet once again.


	5. Chapter 5: Don't Rush

Aria pushed Jessica's bed into the corner as Joe carried in yet another box. Joe had completely spoiled Jessica today; he bought her a entire new bedroom set up them moving in with him. Jessica had him wrapped around her little finger. All the little girl had to say was, "JoeJoe, I want this." And he'd break his neck to go get it. Jessica wasn't here yet, she had been at camp; the new house and her new room remained a secret to the young girl.

"Joe," Arianna whispered, "You really didn't have to do this."  
"She needed a bed, Aria." Joe sighed, "It's no problem. I just hope she likes it as much as she did in the paper."  
"Yeah, I know she will." Aria smiled softly.

They put all the furniture up and styled the room to Aria's liking. They placed her toy bin at the bottom of her bed and threw all the boxes away. Soon the little girl would be returning home to her mother to their new house. Arianna couldn't wait until her little girl saw her new room. She walked out of the room, closing the door tightly behind her. She saw Joe flopped down on the couch after he pushed it into the corner. She went to go grab a bottle of water but as she walked past him, his arms shot out and wrapped his arms around her; pulling her down onto him. She laughed and rubbed her hand over his chest as they laid there in their quiet new house. Roman pushed a few strands of hair out of her face just before tilting her head up so their eyes met. They hadn't been this close ever since two weeks ago when he kissed her in her mother's kitchen.

"Hi." She whispered.  
"Hi." His low raspy voice came out lowly, sending shivers down her spine as he did.

Joe held the back of her head as he brought his plump lips down upon hers; drawing her bottom lip in-between his. She let out a soft whimper as he nibbled on it; her face flustered a little bit as his taste invaded her mouth. She pushed herself further up on his body, wrapping her fingers around the back of his neck as they kissed. She moved to straddle him, her knees on each side of his waist as she did. His hands moved to her thighs, squeezing them as she deepened the kiss.

"Joe.." Aria whispered, running her hand through his hair.  
"Ssssh." He whispered, his tongue darting out to lick his lips.

Aria couldn't deny that she freaked out a little bit; she'd only ever had sex with Aaron and it was painfully excruciating for her. Joe 's thumb started tracing little circles on her thigh. She knew Joe would never force her into sex; Joe was a lot different than Aaron. She'd never compare the two. She looked up into his icy grey eyes and felt a little relieved. Maybe she was just overthinking things, not every man is a complete asshole that is only out for sex.

"You okay?" He whispered.  
"Yeah, I'm okay." She nodded.  
"MAMA!" They heard Jessica's little voice ring through the house.  
Aria smiled and crawled off Joe's lap; his fingers trailing down her thighs as she moved. She caught her daughter in her arms as she ran to her. Jessica's laughter filled the air; it felt like it warmed Joe's body up seeing Jessica so happy now. She used to be a small scared child, now she was actually getting taller and opening up to Joe.

"Hi baby." Aria smiled, kissing Jessica's smiling cheek.  
"Hi mama." Jessica smiled.  
"We've got a surprise for you." Aria smiled, walking with her daughter in her arms back to Joe.  
"Whos house is this?" Jessica asked.  
"This is our house." Joe smiled.  
"Really?" Jessica's eyes lit up.  
"Yep!" Aria nodded.  
"This is so cool." Jessica's little voice squeaked.

They walked to the door that contained Jessica's room and opened the door, the little girls eyes went wide with excitement at her new pink room. She lurched out of Aria's arms and into Joe's, wrapping her arms tightly around the man's neck.

"Thank you, Joejoe." She smiled at him, kissing his cheek.  
"You're very welcome." Joe smiled as he let her down.

The two sat and played with her for a couple of minutes before Aria left to get them something to eat. Joe, sitting adjacent from Jessica, couldn't help but watch the little girl play with her new toys. She looked so much like Arianna to him it was almost scary; she had the same face and the same long blonde hair. Her big hazel eyes reminded him so much of Aria's.

"Do you love my mama?" Jessica asked, coming over to sit on his knee.

Joe was a little caught off guard; Jessica was wise beyond her years to only be four years old. Arianna, being the teacher she was, had taught her all of her primary words before the girl was three years old.  
Joe hadn't really thought about his true feelings towards Arianna. Of course he loved her, they had spent plenty of time together while he was helping training her. They were close friends, Joe knew he could tell Arianna anything that was bothering him and she would do her best to help him out. He looked down at the sweet child's face and nodded.

"I do love your mom. Me and her have spent a lot of time together." Joe nodded.  
"Well she loves you, too." Jessica said, handing him a half-naked Barbie doll, "She doesn't normally love people..especially since the way my daddy done her. But she loves you."  
"She does?" Joe smirked at the conversation he was having with a four year old.  
"Yeah, I know." Jessica nodded, "I can read her mind, Joejoe. Plus I heard her talking to aunty the other day."  
"Oh really?" Joe smiled, "What were they talking about?"  
"You." Jessica said, "She said that she didn't want to rush into things with you, but all her true feelings were still there and that..um..especially when you kissed her."

Joe sat and helped Jessica get the Barbie dolls clothes back on but what was really on his mind was Arianna. When she returned with the boxes of pizza, Joe met her at the door. He took the boxes of pizza out of her hand and closed the door behind her. He could tell she was trying to stifle a laugh.

"What?" Joe asked as she walked past him.  
"That uh..that tiara is a nice look for you." She pointed to the tiara on top of his head; he had completely forgotten about it.  
"Pink is definitely my color, didn't you know?" He laughed, pulling the plastic from his hair.  
"Definitely." She laughed, "Where's Jess?"  
"She's still in her room playing." Joe said, "Listen..can we talk about something?"  
"Did she write on the walls? Shit, Joe..I'm sorry." Aria shook her head.  
"No, no." Joe said, taking her wrists into his large hands.  
"Then what is it?" Aria asked.  
"Me and Jess had a..somewhat of a conversation. She's so smart, Aria." Joe whispered, "Anyway, she told me that she overhead you telling your sister that you didn't want to rush things between us."  
"Oh.." Arianna swallowed hard; this was usually when Aaron started fighting with her.  
"Arianna, I don't want you thinking that you have to be with me just because we're living together, that isn't the point behind all of this." Joe said, running his thumbs over the back of her hands, "You know that, right?"  
"Yeah, I know." Aria nodded.  
"I'm not going to say that I don't have feelings towards you; I always have. I know that we both need time to live the 'single life' because we just came out of very bad relationships and we need to be able to trust again." Joe's voice dropped, "When the time is right, I'm sure something will come out of this. We don't have to rush anything, alright?"

Joe had caught her off guard with the topic of their conversation but she did feel a little bit better knowing that he didn't want to rush into anything as well. Joe was way too good to her, she didn't understand why.

"Alright." She gave him a soft nod.


	6. Chapter 6: I'm Not Him

**_(Alright, I haven't been updating this like normal and I honestly didn't think anyone was still reading it hah. So here we go! Joe and Aria get a little closer..well much closer really. I like to think of Joe as a very romantic lover so I listen to a lot of Brian McKnight and all those things. So here we go, a sort of rushed update but nonetheless as good.)_**

Joe woke up to the smell of eggs, bacon, and something else. He groaned and looked at the time. It was almost seven. He rolled out of his cold bed and walked to the bathroom. He opened the door to his bedroom to step out into the hall but was suddenly overcome with the sound of almost fifteen children chatting away. They all looked up at him like he was some sort of stranger. Joe felt like he was in a nightmare, there was literally children everywhere. He rushed to find Arianna, who was sprawled out in the living room floor with two other adult women. Instantly, their eyes were on his shirtless body. Joe felt way to vulnerable for this early in the morning.

"Uh..Aria?" Joe scratched his head as everyone stared at him.  
"Oh! Joe!" Aria jumped up off the floor, "Did they wake you? I'm sorry."  
"No, no." Joe shook his head as he pulled her closer into him, "Who..uh..who are these people?"  
"Girl scouts." Aria nodded, fixing her glasses, "And those in there are the advisers."  
"You are a girl scout?" Joe asked, looking down at her.  
"No, Jessica is. I just help out with planning their trips and stuff. Our normal meeting spot is closed today, I'll tell them to leave if you'd like." Aria folded her hands in front of her.  
"No, no it's completely fine..theres just so many..children." Joe shook his head, "They are like never ending. I thought I was in a bad dream or something."  
"No," Arianna laughed.  
"Sir," A little blonde headed girl tapped him on the leg.  
"Yes?" Joe asked.  
"Why is your boobs so big?" She crossed her arms.

Joe blinked a couple times before looking down at Arianna who had her mouth covered tightly. She was trying so hard not to laugh, as was Joe. They both looked down at the little girl who had her arms crossed tightly over her chest as she stared up at Joe.

"It's too damn early for kids." Joe shook his head as he walked back upstairs.  
"I'll make you some coffee." Arianna laughed.

She poured him a cup of coffee the way she remembered he liked it and grabbed a couple pieces of the leftover food and walked the tray up to his room. She knocked softly and waited for his, "Come in." to open the door. He had on a pair of white cargo shorts and his long hair draped down over his back. Aria moved slowly as she watched the muscles in his back work underneath the bronzed skin.

"I brought you up some food." She said softly.  
"Thank you." Joe smiled softly over at her, "I uh..I got pretty good news just a few minutes ago."  
"You did?" Aria smiled as she watched him packing.  
"Yeah..uh..WWE wants to meet with me; they want to push me to the main roster." Joe nodded.  
"Joe!" She smiled, "That's amazing!"  
"Yeah." Joe nodded, "It could be nothing, it could be something huge. I'm a little nervous."  
"What, do you go and do a tryout or something?" Aria sat on the corner of his bed as he drank his coffee.  
"Pretty much." He nodded, "Will you and Jessica be okay while I'm gone?"  
"Yeah, we'll be fine." Aria nodded.  
"You sure?" He arched an eyebrow.  
"Yeah." She smiled.

After the women and children left, Joe and Aria spent some time with Jessica. They took her to the park and Joe pushed her on the swings; her laughter filled the air and made Joe smile. He didn't want to leave them but he knew he had too.  
Once they got home, Jessica went straight to her bathroom to get ready for her bath. Joe pulled Aria against him and wrapped her tightly in his arms with her back against him. She smiled and looked back up at him, looking over his soft lips that were slowly coming down against hers. As their lips moved together in a slow rhythm, their tongues swept out to meet. Aria had missed the feel of his soft tongue against hers and the way he held her when they kissed. She turned around in his grip but never broke their kiss and placed her small hand on the side of his neck. He pulled her closer to him, crashing their bodies together. He let out a soft grunt that almost made her knees weak as she ran her ringers through his long hair.

"MAMA! I'M READY!" Jessica called; her voice broke into their little bubble. Joe sighed and let his grip on Aria fall. She slowly pushed away from him licking her lips. The kiss had done nothing but teased her and she wanted more.

After she had gotten Aria's bath finished and put her in bed, she went into the other bathroom and turned the faucet on. She could hear Joe on the phone through the room; he was talking about her, she heard her name leave his mouth a few times. She sighed; she wanted him badly.

Roman's body felt like lava; the kiss had left him wanting more of her. He wanted places he's never touched, he wanted to taste every inch of her body. He was talking to Jon on the phone; even though the guy was weird they had become pretty close friends over their time spent in developmental. He was another one they had called in tomorrow.

"Man just go after her." Jon sighed, "You aren't going to be satisfied until you do."  
"It's not that simple, Jon. She was sexually abused when she was with him. I don't know if she's open to a sexual encounter." Joe groaned.  
"If she was kissing you back like that man, trust me. She will." Jon laughed.  
"I don't know man." Joe shook his head.  
"Listen, she obviously trusts you enough to move in with you after only spending a few months as friends again. I think you should go test the waters." Jon smirked, "I know that's what I'd do."  
"You'd also fuck anything with a cunt between its legs." Joe laughed.  
"Except for animals."  
"Manwhore." Joe laughed.  
"You're the one who's pussying out on the pussy." Jon laughed.  
"You're such a fucking weird man." Joe sighed, "Alright. I'll call you in the morning."  
"Alright man. Have fun." Jon laughed.

Joe stood against the bathroom door, listening to the soft sounds of Aria's water hitting down around her body. His hand was on the door as he imagined the water rushing down her small body and his cock stirred in the process.

Aria pulled on her silk nightgown after she dried her hair and brushed her teeth. She had always liked the way the soft silk felt against her body and clung to her slight curves. Joe was going through her mind the entire time. She spritz her wrists with a lite perfume and heard the door push open. She turned and expected to see Jessica but instead saw Joe leaning against the doorframe.

Joe's heart beat a little faster upon seeing her in her soft white gown. Its contrast with her lightly tanned skin was beautiful. She looked back at him and smiled, he felt his heart flutter. Aria made him nervous sometimes in the little intimate moments like this.

"You okay?" She whispered, slowly walking up to him.  
"I couldn't be any better." Joe whispered, trailing his thumb softly over her cheek, "Arianna, you're beautiful."  
"Thank you." She whispered softly as her hands came up to rest on his bare abdomen.  
"Tell me to stop if you want me too." Joe whispered as he leaned down closer to her.  
"I don't want you to." She whispered as their lips brushed together.  
"I don't want to, either." He pressed their lips together.

His kisses were always long and tender but this one was quick. He ran his hands down the back of her thighs and picked her up. She quickly wrapped her legs around his waist and went back to kiss him instantly. He made their way across the hallway to his room and turned the light on when he entered before shutting the door tightly. He laid her down on his bed, moving to squat in between her legs.  
Aria lost herself in the feeling of his lips on her as he kissed down her tender neck. His fingers rubbed her through the thin material of her panties and she couldn't help but rock her hips up to match his rhythm.

"You're so beautiful." Joe moaned in her ear as he pushed her panties down.  
"Joe," She moaned; her voice filled with fear, "Go slow please."  
"I'm not going to hurt you." Joe whispered as he seen the tears welling in her eyes.  
"I know you're not." She whispered, "I'm just a emotional mess right now."  
"Aria we don't have to do this if you don't want to." He stroked her chin softly.  
"I know." She whispered.  
"Tell me baby." Joe said, "I'm not going to make you do something you don't want too."  
"Can we just lay here for a few minutes?" She whispered, "I'm sorry Joe."  
"Sssh, baby." He whispered moving to lay behind her.

She cuddled down further against him. She was ashamed of herself. Nothing really freaked her out with Joe but as soon as he had starting touching between her legs, she got panicky. Joe wrapped his arms tightly around her and pulled her down against him as he felt her body shaking. Before long, Joe's soft snores filled the room from behind her. His workout earlier had tired him out. Aria wasn't far behind him in dreamland.

_"Come here, you fucking bitch!" Aaron screamed at her as he reached for her legs.  
"Leave me alone!" She shouted back as she kicked him in the face._

Her attack didn't do anything but just pissed him off even more. She crawled even faster through the house as she drug her injured leg behind her. He was on her in no time, his fist reared back as he flipped her over. Aria's hands came up to guard her face but he powered through them.

Joe was woken up by Aria frantically tossing in the bed beside of him in his grip. He heard her mumbling the word "no" over and over as he sat up. Her hands shot up to cover her face as he tried to wake her.  
Her eyes popped open and she instantly went into a rage; bringing her head up to connect with his nose.  
As on instant, the blood poured out of his nose and she came back to her senses.

"Oh my god, Joe." She gasped, moving over to where he was resting back on his knees, "Joe I'm so sorry."  
"It's alright." He groaned as he covered his nose as the blood pooled in his hands, "Will you go get me a towel?"


	7. Chapter 7: Need and Desires

Arianna sighed as the doorbell rang, drawing her out of her thoughts as she sat and watched Lily play. She was still in her gown as she walked to the door. She peaked out the window and seen some tall sandy blonde haired guy standing against the railing smoking a cigarette. She opened the door just a tad and watched the strange man.

"Is Joe home?" The stranger asked.  
"Yeah, who are you?" Ari eyed the strange man.  
"I'm Jon…or Dean." He said as he rocked from his tip toes back to his heels.  
"Oh! The guy he wrestles with." Ari stepped back, "Come in..sorry for um..my indecency."  
"Oh, don't apologize. This is your house." Jon smirked as he walked past her, "I'm guessing you're Arianna." He stuck his hand out.  
"Yeah that's me." She politely shook his hand about the time that Jessica came around the corner.  
"MAN! WHO ARE YOU? YOU ARE CUTE!" Jessica gasped.  
"Jessica!" Arianna snapped; the child had a mind of her own, "You have to excuse my daughter, Mr..uh.."  
"Just call me Dean." He smirked at Arianna and then squatted down to talk to Jessica, "I'm Jon. How are you?"  
"ARI!" Joe called from the bathroom, "Will you bring me my boxers, please?"  
"Jon, please excuse me. Will you be alright with her for a few moments?" Aria pleaded down at the squatted man in front of her.  
"Yeah, take your time." Jon swatted her away slowly.

Aria went to retrieve his boxers from where she knew he kept them; his top left drawer. When she got to his bathroom, she didn't even knock she just walked in. Her eyes went wide at the sight of Joe stepping out of the shower, completely naked. He hadn't heard her crack the door; the water droplets dropped down his tanned chest and further down his body. He was lean, cut strong, and Aria couldn't hold herself back anymore.

"Uhm..here's-"  
"Holy fuck, Aria you scared the living shit out of me." Joe jumped as he grasped his chest and then his shirt to cover his manhood up.  
"I brought you your boxers." Aria said shyly.  
"Thanks." Joe was still clutching his heart.  
"Listen, Joe." Aria whispered as she leaned against the sink, "I really am sorry about last night..I was having a dream about Aaron and when I woke up and saw you over me..it scared me."  
"Don't apologize, I understand." Jon gave her a reassuring smile, "My nose is just a little swollen..it'll be good. I don't think it's broken."  
"Jon's here." She informed him, "But I was thinking maybe..damnit, Joe."

Aria grabbed him by his hand after he had pulled his boxers on and pulled him across the hallway to her room. She locked her door and turned to see him facing her. She placed her hands lowly on his abdomen, the skin over his abs were soft to her touch. He pushed her hair to one side and walked to stand behind her. Her body tensed as anticipated his lips on her skin, she got goosebumps. Joe smiled as he watched the raised skin pop up in little bumps and placed a soft kiss just below her hairline. He laid a trail of soft kisses up the side of her neck and stopped just below her ear; the coarseness of his facial hair softly scraped against her skin.

"Aria," He whispered softly and low, "Are you sure you want to do this?"  
"Yes," She nodded as his tongue trailed over the shell of hear ear.

His hands came up from behind her and tilted her head back as his fingers caressed her jawline. Her lips parted as she allowed his tongue the entrance it seeked. His hand trailed down from her jaw to the front of her throat, his fingers moving softly over the tender skin. He slid his tongue over the roof of her mouth and smiled against her lips as she moaned.  
She pushed herself back against him even more. His hand left her throat and moved to push her gown up. As soon as it was tossed over their shoulders, his large hands came up to cup her breast. His fingers rolled her nipples between his fingers softly and slowly, admiring the whimpers and moans she let out. He kissed her neck, nibbling on the sensitive skin.

"Aria," He whispered so lowly that her knees went weak.

He bent down as his lips trailed further down her spine and his hands rubbed against the soft skin of her belly. Somehow, his rough hands felt like silk against her skin. He continued the soft nibbles and kisses.

"Please, please Joe." She whimpered; the dampness between her legs grew, she rocked her hips back against him and felt his cock pushing against her ass.

His fingers slid down her stomach and she sucked her stomach in for more access. His hands moved further into her panties until she could feel his fingers at her slit, rubbing along the wet folds. She arched her back into him as he pressed soft kisses all over her shoulder. Joe smiled to himself, her need so evident and her want even much more as she rocked against his fingers.

"You're so wet for me, Aria." Joe whispered.  
"Only for you." She whimpered.

He slid her panties down her legs and she stood naked; vulnerable to him to do whatever he wanted to her. Aria didn't care what it was any longer as long as it was from him. He turned her around to face him, the first time she had seen his face since this all started. His eyes were dark with desire but she knew it wasn't threatening. He wanted to please her, not hurt her. He kissed her as he slowly pushed her towards the bed and guided her down onto her back.  
He positioned her towards the edge of the bed; her knees were bent and her feet flat on the floor until he bent down and lifted one of them over his shoulder.

"Relax." He whispered as he knealed between her legs.

She could feel his breath washing over her as he looked over just how wet she was for him. He pulled her lips apart. She lifted her hips up and moaned as she felt his tongue, flat and smooth, as it pushed against her clit.  
She couldn't find enough oxygen in the room as he teased her, her body withering and tensing as his tongue swirled around the hard nub. He slowly pushed a finger into her and her body tensed even more as she moaned his name and reached for his hair. His fingers began brushing against her g-spot firmly but in small gestures. She can feel it coming but tries her best to hold back until Joe lifted his head up and looked into her eyes.

"This is for you, Aria. Let it come." He whispered before he went back and sucked on her clit.

She exploded into a orgasm that left her breathless and wondering if anything could have been better. He held her open until the last waves of her orgasm stopped, watching as she pulsed around his fingers. He stood up and gave her a soft kiss, she could taste herself on his lips.

"Aria," He whispered and she could feel the head of his cock just outside of her.  
"Yes, Joe." She nodded quickly as she tried to clear her mind of the fog left and opened her legs a little further for him.

He entered her slowly; it was too much for Aria. The intense look on his face, the way he felt, and she looked away.

"No baby," He whispered, "Look at me. Watch me make love to you."

She looked up as he slid more of himself into her, every vein in his cock made itself known to her. His hair hung down in his face as he slowly pumped in and out of her, teasing her until she was moaning and groaning. His thrusts got deeper and shorter and he moved so that his hands rested on either side of her head. She looked up into his eyes as he quickened the pace, she could feel him swelling a little deep inside of her. He pressed his lips harshly down against hers and slammed into her one last time before she felt him release into her, her legs wrapped even tighter around her.

She smiled as she wrapped her arms tighter around him, pulling him down into her chest as he fought to control his breathing.

* * *

Aria and Jessica watched as Joe and Jon walked off deeper into the airport. Joe turned and gave them one last wave goodbye before disappearing out of their sight.

"So tell me man," Jon said, "You fucked her didn't you?"  
"Yeah," Joe nodded, earning a punch in the arm from Jon.  
"I knew it! There was a reason why you wanted me there!" Jon laughed, "I'm nothing but a baby sitter to you."  
"No, honestly it wasn't planned." Joe shrugged as he shook his head.  
"The little girl tried telling me she was eighteen and that me and her were getting married." Jon shook his head.  
"That's Jessica for you." Joe laughed.  
"She tried touching my chest, man." Jon laughed, "I've been violated by a four year old."

* * *

**Review!**


	8. Chapter 8: Lets Leave

Joe was more than happy to get home to his two girls. Aria and Jessica were waiting for him, and as soon as he rounded the corner Jessica took off squealing as she ran to him with her arms in the air. Joe squatted down and scooped the happy child in his arms before standing up.

"I missed you, Joe," she said matter-of-factly.

Joe smiled. "You did?"

"Yeppers," She nodded. "I got a play today."

"That's right, you do." Joe smiled as he walked over towards Arianna. "Are you nervous?"

"No. I get to be a turkey!" She smiled happily.

"We gotta go home and make her look chubby." Aria smiled as Joe wrapped an arm around her.

He pressed his mouth just above her ear so only she could hear him when he spoke. "I've missed you, Aria."

The words meant more than what they appeared to be and she knew it by the tone in his voice. He had missed her emotionally, but physically, too. She smiled and he knew silently she was returning his words.

Pensacola typically wasn't cold during the month of December, but it was always rainy. The three of them rushed to the car as they got soaking wet from the downpour. Joe drove back to the house as he listened to Aria and Jessica rehearse the lines Jessica was to speak in the play later. He loved these girls and listening to Jessica's cackling laugh only made him love them even more.

There was no denying he loved Aria but he wasn't going to push her into anything. He pushed the thoughts out of his mind as he felt Aria's fingers rubbing over his forearm that rested on the center console in the car. He looked over at her quickly to find her gazing at him. He cracked a grin. "What?"

"You're pretty, Joe," Aria whispered, blinking her eyes hazily. "I've missed you."

"I missed you, too," Joe said as he tangled his fingers with hers, squeezing her hand softly.

It wasn't long before they got to their house. Joe was getting everything settled in when Aria stepped into his room and sat on the edge of his bed. She watched him move, separating clothes from what needed to be washed and what was still clean.

"What did Vince say," She asked, cocking her head slightly.

"Oh, we're getting pushed to the main roster," he smiled.

"Joe! That's awesome," she smiled.

"Yeah, I'm no longer 'Leakee', though." He shrugged.

"Then what's your new name?"

"Roman Reigns," he nodded.

"That's a strong name." She smirked. "I like it."

"We debut in a couple days at Survivor Series." He sat down beside of her. "November 18th I think."

"That's great, Joe." Aria smiled as she looked over at him.

His lips caught her off guard as they crashed down against hers, their tongues immediately dancing against the others. Joe's large hands came up to stroke the side of her face tenderly as she whimpered softly into his kiss.

"You're so beautiful, Aria," Joe whispered after he pulled away from the kiss, leaving her lips in a slight pout.

She broke his gaze and licked her lips but never pulled away from his hand stroking the side of her face. She liked being touched by him, liked feeling his fingers dancing over her skin. "Do you believe me," he whispered.

"No," she shook her head.

"What do I have to do to make you feel beautiful," he asked.

"It's just something I have to work on within myself." She sighed. "I've never felt pretty."

"You shouldn't feel pretty, you should feel beautiful. Always," Joe mumbled before pressing another soft kiss to her bottom lip.

"Mama!" Jessica called as she knocked on Joe's door.

"At least she's courteous," Joe laughed as he stood up and walked to open the door to reveal Jessica in her turkey costume. "I think I've found dinner," Joe said as he looked back at Aria.

"You can't eat me, Joe Joe," she laughed and ran to her mother. "I'm nervous, Mama."

"Why are you nervous," Aria asked as she ruffled the feathers on her butt.

"What if I'm not a pretty enough turkey," Jessica asked.

"You are beautiful," Aria whispered as she stroked the girl's cheek. "You're the most beautiful little turkey in the world. You're my pretty little turkey."

They were soon in the car and Aria drove them to the school. She could tell Joe was thinking about something, he had his lips pursed and he tapped his foot as he looked out the window. "What's on your mind?"

"Let's go somewhere," Joe shrugged.

"We're on our way to a school play. Is that extreme enough for you?" Aria smiled.

"No, I mean…get out of Pensacola." He shrugged. "I've only got a few days left home before I start touring the world with WWE, you'll be starting work again soon…let's just take off for a few days."

"LET'S GO TO DISNEY LAND!" Jessica squealed from the backseat.

"Disney land it is," Joe shrugged.

"Joe, we can't do that…" Aria shook her head. "She's got school."

"Fuck school. Let the kid have some fun."

"Yeah Momma, fuck school!" Jessica giggled from the back seat.

"Joe!" Aria shot him a glare.

He laughed. "Sorry."

"Pleaseeeeeeeeee Mama?"

"Yeah, pleaseeee Mama," Joe smirked.

"What are we going to tell her teachers?" Ari shook her head.

"Who gives a shit; it's none of their business where she's at. She hasn't missed all of her days just yet." Joe sighed. "Let the kid have some fun. Let loose a little. Look at what all you've been through in the past few months. You owe it to her and yourself. Plus, I'll pay."

Aria sighed as she parked the car and looked over at him. "Alright. Fine. We'll leave tomorrow."

"Yayyy!" Jessica squealed from the backseat as she waited for one of them to open the door.

* * *

**Long time no update! Sorry for the wait, I've been really busy with other OC's and I've been in the mindset of Jon/Dean. Whatcha guys think of their relationship so far?**


	9. Chapter 9: Be Mine

"Would you believe me if I said I'm in love?" Roman mumbled against Aria's hair as they stood on the balcony of their hotel room, overlooking the ocean.

The day had been a blast. Jessica had the time of her life meeting the princesses and all the Disney characters. Aria wasn't feeling too well, her body had felt sluggish all day. They hadn't gotten much sleep due to Jessica keeping them up all night in anticipation. Now, Jessica was out cold in their room and the two had a few hours to themselves.

"I'd believe you but I wouldn't understand why." Aria said softly as Roman's arms wrapped tighter around her waist.

"You don't need to understand, you just need to trust me. I love you, Arianna. I'm not scared to say it." Joe turned her around, "You don't have to say it, you don't have to feel it. I just want you to know that, alright?"

She nuzzled his bare chest, breathing in his natural scent. He always smelled so good at night to her. Calming and warm. "I love you too, Joe."

A small smile spread across his face as he held her. Those words rang out to him, scorching his heart in all the right ways. She looked up at him, earning a sweet kiss. He deepened the kiss, his tongue seeking an entrance that she quickly yielded too.

Tomorrow they would head back home; their two days of fun in Disney came to a draw. Joe would go back to work and Aria was to start at a new school. This year, she had been pushed to kindergartener's. She wasn't upset about it. She loved working with little kids. But right now, she was more focused on this man that was holding her.

"I need you." Aria mumbled against his lips, trailing her hand softly over his crotch.

Joe quickly took her by the hand and they snuck past Jessica to the bathroom. Locking themselves in, Joe pulled her shirt off of her and sat her on the counter. Her arms laced around his neck as he kissed her with more determination now, their tongues sliding against each other's. His fingers pushed down the stretch pants she had on, feeling her completely bare of anything else. He arched his eyebrow at her as he pulled away. "No panties?"

"Nothing else." She smirked, pulling at his shirt and tossing it over his head to the corner. Their bodies slid back together, chest rubbing over each other's. She tightened her arms around his neck and lifted her hips up off the counter as he pulled her pants off. She pulled him closer to her, crushing their bodies together as her feet pushed at his sweatpants. "I need you so bad, Joe." She moaned into his mouth.

He wrapped her in his arms, again, picking her up to carry her over to the shower. He fumbled with it until he got it the right temperature, all the while she was placing soft kisses on his neck. Once he felt the water was warm enough, he pushed her further up against the wall and let the water cascade down the both of them.

He positioned himself just outside of her before slowly thrusting up into her, watching her face change expressions from need to something resembling pleasure. He kept his pace slow – slowly pulling almost all the way out before pushing in just as slowly. It was tortuous but he knew what he was doing.

She gripped his hair, tangling her fingers tighter in the long black mane, as she watched small water pellets fall down his face. Her hand dropped between them to rub at her own clit as his two hands were supporting her. Everything seemed to fade away, it didn't even feel like she was on earth anymore.

Roman's thrust got rougher and his beard tickled her neck softly as he kissed her collarbone. "Aria," He whispered as he pressed his lips to her ears, "Let go."

His words were all she needed. They sent a jolt straight to her clit, and she tensed around him, drawing his orgasm from him. She slumped against him, watching as he sucked the fingers she used to please herself clean.

After they finished their shower, they dressed and curled up in their bed, his arms wrapped tightly around her. She laid against his chest for a few minutes before looking up at him. He looked down at her and placed a soft kiss to her forehead.

"I don't say this enough," She whispered, "But thank you, Joe. For everything."

"You don't have to thank me, Arianna. You deserve the best life for you and Jessica. Hopefully, I can give it to you two…" He took a deep breath, "That is, if you'll let me…"

"What are you saying, Joe?" She grinned.

"You're going to make me ask, aren't you?" He smirked.

"It isn't official unless you do." She smirked.

"Fine," He laughed, moving so that he was laying eye level in front of her, "Be mine."

"Did you just demand that I be your girlfriend?" She grinned.

"I think I did."

"I guess." She smiled, nuzzling his neck as she tucked her head under his chin.

"I love you." He mumbled, pulling the blankets up closer to them.

"I love you too."

* * *

They were finally pulling back into Pensacola. Aria couldn't be any more happier, either. She was a home body even though she had fun. Jessica was sleeping in the back seat, Joe was driving, and Aria was watching the stores pass by. She had missed home and was happy to see all the familiar things. She was ready to start working with schools again.

"We need to get some gas," Roman grumbled as he scratched his forehead and then pulled over into the closest gas station, "You pay and I'll pump."

"Alright." She smiled, giving him a soft kiss before getting out of the car.

She pulled her debit card out and checked on Jessica before climbing out of the car and walking into the store. She decided to pick up a few snacks and drinks, they had a pretty long while before they got back to their house and she was beyond starving. As she was bent down to pick up a bag of chips, she felt someone's hand on her rear. She jumped up and turned around to face someone she never wanted to see again.

"Miss me, sweet Aria?" Aaron smiled wickedly at her.

* * *

_**Uh oh...**_


	10. Chapter 10: Love or Fight

"Aaron," Arianna gasped.

"Surprise!" He said sarcastically, throwing his arms in the air, "Where have you been, you fucking bitch?"

"You need to leave," Arianna said softly. She watched as Joe approached the store, probably wondering what was taking her so long. Jessica was walking closely on his heels, her hand intertwined with his larger one.

"Who is going to make me?" Aaron laughed, "Where's my daughter?"

"Far away from the monster that you are." Arianna said a little louder, seeing as Joe was coming into the store she knew she wouldn't get hurt too bad. Still, this man made her nervous.

The doorbell rung, signifying someone walked in. She heard Jessica's gasp and her start muttering "No! No! No!" Joe looked down at her as she tugged on his arm,

"Jessica, what's the matter sweetie?" Joe asked as he bent down to her level and followed her gaze to the back of the store.

"That's my daddy," Jessica said as she pointed the man that now had Arianna slammed against the cooler doors. Joe's blood boiled at the sight, he was touching his Arianna. Joe got back to his normal height, making Jessica stay a little further behind him until he realized the other two men suspiciously watching her that had entered the gas station after he did. He picked the small girl up in his arms and rapidly walked up towards the strange man.

Joe grabbed a fist full of hair and handed Jessica to Arianna and whispered in her ear, "Go to the bathroom. Lock the door. Don't answer it until you know its me."

Joe had something he'd wanted to unleash on Aaron. All the times he sat and held Arianna as she cried over the way he had treated her, Joe silently counted up punches and they added up to over fifty. He let his fists fly into his face and the other two men were on him – he figured they had something to do with Aaron. He fought them all three off. He didn't give a fuck who stepped up, they were getting hit. Joe was enraged. And it showed as the blood splattered from the three faces.

He let everything unleash. Pent up anger towards him, towards a lot of people, he just let it flow. He didn't see anything other than the inflicting pain he was giving Aaron and the sick person inside of him loved every second of it. He hit Aaron for Arianna, he hit him for Jessica. He hit him as hard as he could, his fists pummeling down against his face. Weight training over the years had finally paid off. He knew Aaron's face was hurting because his fists were on fire.

When everything was done and over with, Joe sat and watched the three men wither and cry in pain on the floor, blinded by their own blood. His fists were split open. He had a anger problem, that was for sure, but it only came towards the people who hurt who he truly cared about. Arianna and Jessica had slowly became his life. They were something he could look forward to coming home too. This stupid fucker he was looking at almost rendered that possibility.

"You're not done seeing me, bitch." Joe snarled as he kicked Aaron roughly in the ribs. He could only hope it broke his ribs. He spit in Aarons face before stepping over him and walked to the bathroom to collect the two frightened girls. He tossed the money to the cashier and walked out. He had to get out of here before they called the cops. He wasn't sticking around for that shit.

When they got back home, Jessica had cried herself to sleep. They laid her down on the couch and locked the door incase Aaron had someone to follow them.

"Joe," Arianna's eyes stung with tears, "I'm so sorry."

Joe pulled her into the bathroom and hugged her tightly to his larger body, "Do not ever be sorry for that."

"But look at your hands. I know that hurts."

"It stings," He shrugged, "But it was well worth it."

"I love you, Joe." She mumbled.

"I love you too."

"Let me clean your hands." She said, breaking his embrace. He sat down on the toilet lid as she sat down in front of him. She carefully doctored his knuckles, dabbing cotton balls dipped in peroxide to boil out any infection starting to sit in. Some of the splits were deep. Some of them worried her, but she doctored them even more and was content that maybe they would be okay if he kept them clean.

Joe watched her. She had a determined look on her face, nibbling on his bottom lip as she concentrated on cleaning the blood form his knuckles. He brought his other already bandaged hand up to her face and pushed her hair out of the way. "You're so beautiful."

"You sure he didn't get any hits in and knocked you a little silly?" She smiled softly.

"Never," He smiled and bent down to place a sweet kiss to her lips that she quickly accepted. Joe sucked at her bottom lip, pulling the soft flesh between his and he sucked a little harder. She moved to sit in his lip, their kiss never breaking. His tongue found its way inside her mouth, bringing her closer to him, as their tongues moved against each other's.

"I need you, Ari baby." Joe mumbled against her lips.

Arianna smiled, "Later. I promise. Can you do that for me?"

"I'd do anything for you. You know that."

"I don't know what I would do without you, Joe. Honestly. Who knows what would have happened today if…if you weren't there. He could've-"

"Lets not talk about that, babe." Joe's voice was soft and comforting, something she needed.

They sat there for a few minutes, arms wrapped tightly around each other. Arianna figured if she could have him for the rest of her life, she'd die a happy person. Joe had given her so many opportunities. He gave her a second chance, a chance to be a better mother. He gave her warm loving arms to come home to every night while he was in.

She'd always remember life with Aaron, but it was time to move on. It was time to open up another chapter of her life. With Joe, she felt safe and loved. Aaron never gave her those things. These past few months spent living with Joe has opened her eyes. There are caring men in the world, men who wouldn't hurt a woman. Arianna had lost a lot of hope for the men of the world, but Joe showed her differently. Joe was her comfort, her man. And she wasn't going to let him slip through her fingers.

Joe knew in that moment Arianna had broken through his entire being. He was in love with her. Loving someone and being in love with someone was two totally different things. He loved his ex-wife. He'd always love her. But he wasn't in love with her. Arianna was his future, he could tell it now. He was comfortable with her. Sure, he'd gotten done wrong in the past. But now, for the two, it was time to move on from their rough past relationships and get something real started. They owed it to themselves and he knew Jessica deserved to have a father. He just hoped he could make that jump.


End file.
